My summer tan has started to fade, the leaves are just beginning to turn, and there's a definite bite to the air first thing in the morning.
Sigh…
I'm never quite ready to let summer go.
There's something wonderfully simple about getting dressed when the weather is warm. Shorts and a Heather & Sand T-shirt — in stock soon, hopefully — or a light summer dress, sandals and out of the door.
No layers. No spare jumper. No wondering whether the weather forecast is lying to you.
But then I remember what autumn in Northumberland actually looks like.
The trees start turning gold. The beaches empty. There's that beautiful low light in the mornings and, because sunrise has finally moved to a slightly more civilised hour, we're often up and out with Meg just as the sun begins to appear over the east coast.
It's lovely.
Even if I do occasionally have to stand around getting cold while Tom takes seventeen almost identical photographs because he's convinced one of them is destined for BBC Weather Watchers.
Apparently this is important.
I actually love autumn clothes
As much as I love the simplicity of summer, autumn is probably when I feel most like myself.
If I had to describe the way I dress, I'd say simple, practical, but still girly.
I like texture. I like colours that look as though they belong outside — greens, browns, rusts, creams and those lovely muted autumn shades. And whenever possible, I prefer natural fibres.
But I still like to look nice.
Feminine.
Just not at the expense of being able to move.
Because a normal day might involve going into Alnwick for a food shop, walking Meg along the coast and then chasing Flynn around at playgroup. Whatever I'm wearing has to cope with all three, preferably without requiring a costume change.
That rather rules out anything too precious.
So, what am I wearing this autumn?
I'm trying to buy fewer clothes and choose better-quality things that I'll keep, which fortunately means I already have some lovely knitwear from previous years.
Although, looking through it recently, I realised almost all of it is neutral.
Cream.
Beige.
Another cream.
Apparently Past Lucy was frightened of colour.
So this year I'd like to add one or two knits in more seasonal shades — sage green, perhaps a warm brown or something rusty — and wear them with things I already own.
Jeans are the obvious choice, but I love a denim or corduroy skirt with a chunky jumper and boots. I have a few skirts in different colours that sit just above the knee, which seems to be my sweet spot: still feminine, but perfectly practical for everyday life.
I'm also very fond of a pinafore dress, particularly with a pretty blouse underneath. It gives me the slightly girly look I like without feeling remotely dressed-up.
Footwear is where everything starts to fall apart.
I seem to own walking boots…
…and sandals.
There really isn't much happening between the two.
This may need addressing.
Shopping can be dangerous
Last year I bought a few denim dresses from Nobody's Child and I'm really looking forward to getting those out again.
I love their designs.
Possibly a little too much.
Eventually I had to unsubscribe from their emails because there appeared to be something new I wanted approximately every twelve minutes.
Tom would NOT approve.
Particularly as I spend quite a lot of time questioning the steady procession of small Amazon parcels arriving at our house containing mysterious bits of “kit.”
Apparently his purchases are different.
Obviously.
And then there's the uniform…
For all this talk of lovely knitwear and corduroy skirts, there is another Lucy.
The one you're most likely to encounter at 7am with a dog lead in one hand and half a banana belonging to Flynn in the other.
Her uniform is a quarter-zip fleece and Fjällräven trousers.
They are ridiculously comfortable. I always feel ready for whatever we decide to do, and — an important consideration at this stage of my life — baby food wipes off them remarkably well.
Minimal residue.
You won't find that particular feature mentioned in many fashion magazines.
There may be trouble ahead
We do, however, have a slight wardrobe situation approaching.
We've been invited to a wedding.
Which means I need something that falls rather further towards the pretty end of my practical-to-girly scale.
I'm thinking Newcastle.
Possibly the Metrocentre.
Perhaps lunch. A gentle wander around the shops. Quite civilised, really.
I just haven't worked out how to tell Tom yet.
Tom hates shopping.
Although, strangely, when I mentioned the Metrocentre the other day, he didn't seem quite as horrified as I expected.
I'm sure there's nothing suspicious about that.
Wish me luck.
Lucy x
